Waiting For Forever
by yeti of me
Summary: Troy and Gabriella never got a chance with each other until in the end, in the most beautiful way.


**Hello everyone!**

**I'm sorry to say I am not officially back from hiatus, because I will be extremely busy again, and I will use my spare time to come up with a story. Any chance I get, I will do it. So I can't confirm when I will be back officially and updating occasionally, but I just want to thank those who are still with me. It means a lot to me. I love you all so much.**

**But anyway, here it is, the one update after so long. This had been on my mind for a very long time and when I had the time, I just got it all out. But, I have to apologize if it's crappier than my usual stuff. Although, I still hope everyone enjoys this.**

**Waiting For Forever**

"Alright, summer is finally here!" Troy hollered, putting his hands up in the air and did a little impromptu dance right outside the doors of his last class.

His best friend giggled beside him and swiped his arm playfully. "Is your class really so torturous?" she asked, as they fell into step and went to their lockers.

"Hell, yeah, if you get Miss Darbus," Troy could only roll his eyes.

Troy Bolton had been best friends with Gabriella Montez ever since she moved to Albuquerque to attend East High. There was this certain… chemistry between them and there was no denying it. After graduation, of course, they made a pact; Troy, Gabriella and Chad Danforth, Troy's other best friend, agreed on going to NYU together. As for Taylor, she went to Yale to pursue her dreams of becoming the "President of the United States". Her words, not mine.

So anyway, in New York, they rented an apartment together, the three of them, and they have been inseparable. Troy and Chad still played basketball, and Gabriella still did her Math and Science ingenuity thing. Although they have had lesser time spent with each other due to their different classes, they still made sure to make time for one another.

"Hey guys!" Chad jogged towards them, an inevitable orange basketball tucked under his arm and as he ran, his afro bounced up and down on his head.

"Hey Chad," Gabriella greeted him, closing her locker door after she had cleared it for summer break.

"Hey man," Troy's voice was muffled as he still had his head stuck in his locker, still trying to dig out some loose pieces of paper caught at the back of his locker.

"As you all know it's summer, and we need to get a job or we won't be able to pay the rent of our apartment," Gabriella started and when she got to the word 'job', the two boys groaned.

"Aw, can't we just enjoy the summer as it is? Just screw the bills!" Chad whined.

"Yeah, Brie, just enjoy this summer," Troy finally got the last of his things from his locker and he looked at her straight in the eye with his intense blue eyes.

"Well, fine," Gabriella gave in to her best friend's never ending pools of blue, which are called eyes, by the way. "But even if it's for a week, we're still going to get a job, deal?"

The two boys thought for a moment, and then the three of them shook hands together. "Deal."

As if on cue, Troy and Chad's phones buzzed to signal that they both got a text. They both read it and Troy slammed his phone shut first.

"Damn it, I thought I could have lunch outside with you, Brie," Troy muttered.

"Why, what's up?" Gabriella asked inquisitively.

"We have our last basketball training before we can leave for our break," Chad sighed.

"I thought I didn't have to eat the food at the cafeteria here anymore!" Troy complained.

Gabriella chuckled, "Is this always about food?"

"Yes!" the two boys said together sulkily.

"If it makes you two any better, I will have lunch with the both of you," Gabriella told them, giving them a pat on their shoulders before leading the way to the cafeteria, Troy and Chad trudging behind.

/

"Alright guys, total up!" Coach Baker barked.

Every one of the basketball team huddled up in front of their coach. Unfortunately for Troy and Chad, who were captain and co-captain of East High, they we just regular players for NYU. Captain of the team was Brad Baker, who was of course, the coach's son. The only reason why he was captain. He loathed both Troy and Chad, and vice versa, because Brad is an arrogant jerk. Just like his father. Biased little freaks.

"I know that there wasn't supposed to be practice today, but since Brad mentioned to me how weak some of you still are," as Coach Baker said this, his eyes travelled from his son to Troy and Chad and glared at them for a brief moment, before he continued, "We have decided to have this one last practice of recaps before I let you all off for your vacation."

The team sighed inwardly before Coach Baker instructed them of the drills they were going to start off with. The team paired up, beginning to do the drills.

Gabriella sat at the bleachers watching Troy and Chad practice the drills they have mastered since they started playing basketball. The only reason she was able to sit there was because Brad likes her. If it were any other girl, or any other person, he or she may very well be banned from the gym. So Brad basically hates Troy and Chad just because he can't have Gabriella.

Just as the whistle blew from Coach Baker, which meant half time, Troy immediately ran over to Gabriella. He was hair was soaked with perspiration and as he got near to her he shook his brown hair, getting droplets of that icky stuff on Gabriella.

"Ew! Troy Alexander Bolton!" Gabriella hissed, snapping the book she had just started reading shut and glowered at him.

Troy merely laughed at her and plopped down beside her on the bleachers, conveniently grabbing her drink and gulping it down, earning another swipe from Gabriella, which made him choke on the water and having it trickle down his chin. Chad then sat down on the other side of Gabriella, pulling out his phone to text Taylor. Chad and Taylor's relationship was unpredictable. One day they could be madly in love with each other, and the next, Taylor would be madly infuriated with Chad.

"So, what's for dinner later?" Troy asked once he had recovered himself.

"Hmm, how about dinner and a movie?" she suggested, twirling with a strand of her brunette hair.

"That sounds great, most of the time we just order in and stuff," Troy nodded, thinking now of a place to eat.

Before Troy and Chad could even warm up their seats, Coach Barker entered the gym once again and blew his whistle. Troy and Chad groaned in the form of a sigh and unwillingly went out to the court to do more of the easy and now boring drills that they know right off their fingertips since forever.

/

"Guess what, boys?" Gabriella came back to their apartment on the second Friday of summer break and flopped onto the couch, in between Troy and Chad.

"What?" They both asked in unison, their mouths stuffed with popcorn and their eyes on the Lakers vs. Celtics game on TV.

"I took the liberty of checking, and I got each of us a job," she said excitedly, looking to Troy and Chad to see their reaction.

"What!?" They both exclaimed, taking their eyes off the screen for the first time since the game started to stare down on her in bewilderment.

"Brie, how long did you sign us up for?" Troy asked cautiously, almost dreading her answer.

She rolled her eyes and told them, "We had a deal. One week."

The two boys heaved a loud sigh of relief, especially Chad. "Good, well where are we working at?"

"Actually my mum called, and she told me if we need a job we could head back to Albuquerque. Her colleague's sister has a newly opened diner just across the street from the park. Two free meals a day, who could resist that? So I said yes," she explained.

"Well, okay then. When are we going home?" Troy asked, scratching his hair a little and sitting up.

"We start work next Monday, so we have to be home latest Sunday night."

"I'll go book the air tickets, Chad, your turn to clean up," Troy said as he stood up and left for his room, leaving Chad looking incredulous and Gabriella giggling at him.

/

Their plane touched down on Sunday evening. After saying 'hello' to their folks and having a reunion dinner which their mothers prepared, Chad went back home while Gabriella stayed over with Troy.

"Ah, home sweet home, El," Troy sighed happily and relaxed into his bed.

A picture of him and Gabriella at senior prom was placed proudly in a frame they decorated together by his bedside. It was their favourite picture of both of them and also the best night of their lives.

"I miss this place," she agreed and she crawled into his bed, next to him.

Troy smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulders. Laughing softly, she hugged Troy around his middle and placed her head on his solid chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as she let her eyes close gradually. When her breathing evened out, Troy planted a kiss to the top of her head and closed his eyes as well.

"I love you, Ella," Troy whispered before he, too, fell asleep.

/

After a week of work at Flo's Diner, the three of them were cleaning up after their shifts to prepare to head home after dinner. They had uniforms to wear, and they had to change back into their own clothing. Troy was already done, while Chad had to use the toilet, and Gabriella was still changing.

Then there was a loud thud.

Troy's eyes widened as he realized that it came from the female washroom. His first thought: Gabi.

He let Flo go in to check, seeing as she was a female. Flo ran out of the washroom to grab her phone and called for the ambulance. Gabi had probably slipped and fell and hit her head, causing her to lose her consciousness. Troy got so worried he didn't care anymore. He went into Gabriella's cubicle and frowned. She was slumped against the door, her body lifeless. He bent down and cradled her gently in his arms, taking in the scent of her hair and placing kisses on her head and temple, just praying that she will be alright.

The ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital. Troy followed but he told Chad to go home and wait for his call on the news of Gabriella.

They admitted her into a room, after the doctors checked on her. Apparently they believe that she fainted, and she slipped and hit her head in the process, and not the other way around. The doctors conducted a full body examination to check that she is well, and she will be free to go once she awakes and may have to come back another day to collect her report.

Troy stayed in her room for two days, accompanying her and stationed there to comfort her in case she wakes to her unfamiliar surroundings. When Troy got tired, he would take a quick nap on the couch in the room. If not, he would be holding on to her hand and waiting for her to wake up. Just as Troy fell asleep against her hand, it twitched, and she stirred in her sleep. She woke up to see herself in the hospital. She didn't feel scared, because when she looked down beside her, Troy was there with her. She removed her hand from beneath him and ran her hands into his soft hair. Troy sensed movement, and his head shot up, only to see Gabriella looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"Ella," Troy said, going closer to her and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Jesus, I was so fucking worried about you."

"I'm fine, Troy. What happened?" Gabi whispered wanly.

They pull away and Troy told her. Then a doctor came in. "May I speak to Ms. Montez alone?"

Troy nodded and went out to wait patiently.

"Ms. Montez, I can only say this in the most simple and straightforward manner. You are diagnosed with cancer."

She felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"According to the malignancy of it, it seems like you have only less than a month to live."

She was losing her vision and that uncomfortable gut-wrenching feeling of 'death' came to her.

"I don't suggest any treatment; it is far too late. But do prepare for goodbyes."

Tears welled up in her brown eyes just as the doctor left the room after saying sorry. Troy went in shortly after only to see Gabriella crying her eyes out.

"Shit, Ella, what did the doctor say?" Troy asked anxiously and went over to her to hug her once again.

"I have g-got… c-c-can-cancer…" she tried to say but instead choked on her words and her tears started to flow like waterfall down her cheeks.

Troy was speechless.

_Cancer?_ _She was well all the while, I mean, there were no symptoms, no sign of anything – nothing!_

All Troy could do was join his tears with hers as they cried their hearts out at reality right then. It all came so sudden. It was like a tidal wave that destroyed everything in its path. Troy was so upset; there was no way to even describe it. There was this constant fear gnawing at him that he knew he was going to lose his best friend for years all thanks to some stupid cancer.

That was when Troy made a silent vow to Gabriella, and that is to make her remaining weeks as cheerful as possible, and hopefully a miracle would happen and the cancer will just miraculously disappear.

Hopefully.

/

"Troy, would you relax? I'm really fine, I just choked on my drink," Gabriella said, coughing slightly, while Troy rubbed her back and repeatedly asked if she was okay.

Two weeks had passed and Gabriella had gradually gotten over the fact that she had cancer. Sure she was scared, and the overwhelming care and concern and worries from everyone didn't really help her at all, but at least she and Troy were taking it one step at a time to forget about her illness and just enjoy the rest of her life.

Gabriella was going back to normal, which Troy was relieved about. What he dreaded the most was to lose his best friend emotionally_ before_ losing her physically. And for the past two weeks, Troy stayed over at Gabriella's place to make sure she was alright.

Of course, the folks all knew and were also puzzled as to why she had cancer. There was no family history and she always ate healthy, but then cancer is a jerk and can come to attack you whenever they want to. They eat you alive slowly and before you know it, you're gone. So to conquer this cancer, they must remain happy and strong. Maybe a miracle would happen.

Over the two weeks of course Gabriella had gotten weaker and had been losing her appetite. Troy made sure she ate, but sometimes she would run over to the sink to throw up. She was paler and not as energetic as before. Her movements slowed down. It takes her almost twice as long to do everything. And of course, Troy can't bear to see his best friend whom he loves so much in such a dire state that often he let his tears free fall, but only after she was asleep, so she wouldn't know. It was eating Troy inside out as the fact that his best friend was in such a state, and also because no one knows when her last day would be.

Troy flipped open the newspaper whilst sitting on the kitchen table. After the first few pages, he chanced upon a small advertisement at the corner of the page. _'Chocolate Fair'?_ Hmm, well Gabriella loves chocolate and the fair was in a few days. He decided he would bring her there.

/

After the blindfold was taken down, she looked through the glass of the windscreen and gasped.

"You brought me to the Chocolate Fair!" she squealed, albeit weakly, because her illness was taking its toll on her.

Troy smiled a watery smile at her and nodded his head before getting out of his car to help her out.

Gabriella looked beautiful today. There was this certain radial glow around her that Troy hadn't seen for some time. Even though her health was clearly deteriorating, she still looked full of life. When she smiled satisfyingly as she went around the booths to taste all the vast varieties of chocolate desserts… When she laughed and giggled when the vendors told the tasters some funny and interesting stories… When they fooled around and fed each other some chocolate… Troy's heart was breaking inside but he had to constantly smile at her and make her believe now that _he_ was okay.

"Troy, let's go to the beach now," Gabriella told him and grabbed his arm to pull him softly to the direction of his car.

Troy could only nod and take them there.

The beach was still as beautiful as it is. It was almost sun set, and Troy had laid out a blanket on the sand for them both to sit down on. Troy had pulled his knees up to his chest while he let Gabriella lean on his shoulder. When the wind blew gently, her brunette curls followed the trail, and she shivered gently.

"Are you cold?" Troy looked at her and asked.

She nodded. "I'm gonna go get the other blanket in my car. Wait here." With that, Troy practically ran to his car to grab the other blanket and ran back to her again. He wrapped it around her and she thanked him silently. Troy then pulled her close to him, his arms around her shoulders.

As the sun set came around, Gabriella let out a soft giggle and whispered, "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," Troy agreed and held her closer.

She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a little sigh. But it was a happy one.

"Do you remember, when we came here for vacation and were met with Sharpay Evans, and then we ran and accidentally kicked some sand on her face?" Troy asked her with a laugh.

She chuckled and nodded with a little laugh.

"And she threw her stilettos at us!" she said in bewilderment. "I mean, who wears stilettos to the beach?"

He sensed that Gabriella was slipping away from him. He could feel that she was leaving him soon. So he kept talking to her to keep her with him for as long as possible.

Troy's eyes watered but he smiled as another fond memory came about, "And the other time we buried Chad when he was taking a nap and when he woke, that look on his face was priceless!"

They continued to share some laughter right till the sun was almost below the horizon.

"I'm really going to miss all these," she told Troy sadly as she moved her hands to hug on his arm, her head never leaving his shoulder.

"Hey, don't even say that," he chastised softly but sadly, too.

They watched the sun disappear into the horizon, which marked the end of the day for both of them.

"I love you, Troy," Gabriella whispered, her voice almost inaudible and she closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

Troy's eyes widened and his lips parted as he heard those words. He turned to look down at her. Did she really say that?

"Brie?" Troy called gently to see if she was asleep.

There was no answer, and Troy got scared. He carefully moved her body so that she faced him so as to not wake her. But she would never open those eyes again, those beautiful brown eyes...

Troy realized she was limp, and she wasn't breathing. Her heart was no longer beating.

He looked down at her, and caressed her cheek, letting his tears fall as he repeated her nickname he gave her as he held her close to his chest.

"I love you, Ella, I love you…"

/

She was the only one in white today. Even the skies lost their cheerful colours as a thunderstorm threatened to fall outside the church. Troy sat right in front, alone, his butt glued to the bench closest to her. He's been sitting there since morning, his tears never ceased to fall. He watched as some wept as they went up to her to see her one last time. He listened as some gave brief eulogies.

After most of her friends and relatives had left, they were preparing to close the lid. That was when Troy got up and walked slowly and shakily towards her. Everyone had their eyes on him. He took a chair and sat by her. He cried till his throat hurt; he had not much voice left. His eyes were blurry to everything else, except her.

His hand went into his pocket and he dug out a note folded into a smaller piece. The whole night he couldn't sleep and he stayed sleepless and he wrote her a note. A brief note that was enough to let her know how he felt, what he wants to say to her, what he wants to do.

With shaky hands, he gently tucked the note into her hands that rested upon her middle.

He swallowed hard and he whispered to her using his last bit of voice left, "Keep this with you."

For the final time, he saw her beautiful face. He saw those lips that he never got to kiss. He saw her angelic form locked safely into her box. No one was going to hurt her anymore. She was free.

/

Troy couldn't sleep. He cried till he couldn't cry anymore. There were so many things he couldn't understand, so many things that popped into his head, so many things that confused him. He was curled up on his bed, gripping tightly onto the sheets. He shut his eyes tightly to stop his tears from coming, but to no avail. But when he opened them, he saw the most beautiful sight he thought he would never see ever again.

Standing before him beside his bed was Gabriella. _His_ Ella. She wore a long white gown and she looked more beautiful that she ever did. A small smile tugged at her lips. In her hands, was the note.

"Brie," Troy managed, sitting up, getting out of bed and reaching out to her.

He could touch her, he could feel her warmth. And he held her as close to him as possible, fearing that if he let go of her he would lose her again. He felt her move against him, her hands slowly winding around his middle and hugging him back.

"Brie, where did you go? Where have you been? I missed you," Troy asked in a quivering and worried voice, still holding her body ever so tightly against his.

"I was always here, with you," Gabriella replied softly with a smile, her fingers going in to touch the hairs on the back of his head gently.

"I came to give you this," she said, stepping away from him to give him a note.

The note.

It was the same not he wrote her and told her to keep it with her.

He took the note with shaky hands and opened it carefully. At the bottom of his words, were hers. Written neatly as a reply with her beautiful handwriting.

_Troy,_

_I'm sorry we never had a chance. But I'm sure we will meet each other again. I will be waiting for you. I love you, Troy, so much. _

_Keep this with you._

_Love, Gabi_

He folded the note and slipped it under his pillow as he promised to take good care of it.

Then slowly, Gabriella reached up to kiss him.

Her lips so soft against his, so sweet, so magical. Troy never thought he would ever get to do this with her. His let his tears fall as he kissed her back with as much love and passion, and they held onto each other tightly. Of course, one thing led to another, and they had the best love making of their lives. (or rather Troy's because technically Gabi is already gone…)

Troy lay on the bed while Gabriella laid her head against his chest. Troy ran his fingers into her brown hair and not long after, he finally fell asleep.

/

Troy woke with a smile the next morning, but it disappeared as he realized Gabi was gone. Again. He started scrambling around the room, calling out her name, louder each time. He was getting desperate, and he started to let his tears fall as he screamed out the pain he felt in his heart.

Chad and Taylor came up to the room to check on him and they grabbed him by his shoulders to calm him down. Time and time again, they had to remind Troy that Gabi was gone.

"No, she was here. She came last night and now she's gone, where did she go?" Troy said quickly and desperately.

"Troy, Gabriella is dead!" Chad was getting frustrated and he yelled it to his face.

But Troy didn't stop. This time, he went to the bed and moved his hands all over it, pushing everything off the bed until it exposed itself. The note.

He grabbed it and opened it up and handedit to them.

"She was here, I told you," Troy said again, hoping they now knew he was telling the truth.

They examined the handwriting.

"It's hers alright," Taylor said, tears creeping into the corners of her eyes.

"And I made love to her," Troy said to himself rather than to them, and he took the note back and tucked it safely into one of the pockets of his wallet.

/

Troy walked to the park, just like every other morning ever since he was retired. He lived alone in his apartment, and was taken care of by his friends and his lovely neighbours. On the way to the park, he bought his usual sandwich and a cup of coffee to go, and also a bag of bread crumbs. He would look his his usual spot at the bench, sit down, and sprinkle the bread crumbs around him at his feet. He would then open up his sandwich, and eat it happily as he watched the birds flying to his feet to also feast on the tiny bread crumbs.

He would feed them, until there were no crumbs left in the bag. And then he would take out that very note from his wallet and read it a hundred times, keep it back in his wallet safely before he went to run any errands. Then in the evening after dinner, he would go to the very beach he and Gabi went to before she left.

He would sit at the very same spot, and enjoy the sunset, just as though Gabi was right there with him. All this time. He smiled as the sun disappeared into the horizon, and he got up to go home.

That night, Troy Bolton slept with an even bigger smile on his face. Because he knew that when he closed his eyes, he would never open them again. But if he did, he would only see one person. His angel.

/

Troy opened his eyes. He was dressed purely in white and he was also in a place as white as his dressing. He looked down at himself. He wasn't the old Troy who was lying on his bed just now; he was young again, and full of life.

Out in the horizon, he saw a bright light flickering and getting so bright it blinded him. But as it came closer, he saw a figure coming closer to him. He grinned from ear to ear as he realized who she was. It was as if they were young again. As if Gabi had never left and Troy had never grew old. It was like they have picked up from where they had left off, at the beach, then in his bedroom.

Gabriella was walking towards him with small footsteps wearing the same white gown that time she came to visit him in his bedroom. Troy laughed happily as he ran towards her and picked her up from her feet and twirled her around, sharing a kiss. Troy then put her down and they embraced each other as tight as ever.

After they pull away, Gabriella smiled up at him and told him, "I've been waiting."

Troy reached into the pocket and took out the note. It then disintegrated into tiny glittery dust as it got blown away by the non-existent gust of wind.

"So, are you ready for forever?" Gabi asked him.

Troy merely nodded his head and let her take his had to lead him. They walked hand in hand towards the horizon, and disappeared into the bright light.

**The End.**

**Well I hope everyone enjoyed this. Do remember to give me a review as to how this story was, whether you liked it or you didn't, or did it make you laugh (in the beginning) or cry.**

**I thank everyone who took the time to read this story (and giving me a review) I guarantee that I will be back. I love you all so much. Thank you once again and I will see you all soon.**


End file.
